Maybe I'll Get a Redhead
by mmiab
Summary: A story about Pepper and Tony meeting, how their relationship develops, and how they change because of it. It starts before IM1 and will go to after IM1. It's rated M for a reason. DISCLAIMER: I don't own Iron Man, Marvel does. It's just a parody. ON HIATUS because my computer broke and I can't afford to fix it yet.
1. Chapter 1

Tony Stark sat on the couch in his living room, a glass of scotch in his hand, musing to himself. I,_ Tony Stark, don't respect women_. More specifically, he didn't respect the women he knew. It was a widely-recognized fact, but he'd never really thought about it before.

He'd had a lot women in his twenty-six years of living, although they tended to not be around for long. He smiled a cocky, dark smile to himself. 'A lot' was a bit of an understatement. But the fact remained, he didn't have much respect for the women he slept with.

Because honestly, the lists of women he'd met and women he'd slept with were pretty similar.

_I guess its just the perks of being a billionaire_, he thought to himself not unhappily. Women had thrown themselves at him since he was a teenager. It didn't help that he was flirtatious and very, very forward with his intentions.

In today's modern age, he knew that women could do whatever they wanted with their bodies, but he still had a negative attitude towards the sluts who'd fuck a rich stranger after a few drinks and a couple of come-ons. So he'd love 'em and leave 'em. It was just another notch on the belt, a belt that was much, much longer than it had any right to be.

He looked to his right where his latest PA had exited a few minutes prior. Her underwear was on the couch where she'd left them. It had taken less than four hours into her second day before she'd dropped to her knees to please him at barely a hint from him. A half hour later he'd sent her home. She wouldn't be coming back for a third day. He had a rule with himself that he never let an assistant or secretary work for him after sleeping with them. It wasn't because of the sex. In fact, usually he enjoyed it, and having someone available a room over would be convenient. They were always very eager to please. No, he let them go because he didn't want to risk them trying to attach themselves to him. Being rich attracted the gold-digging type of woman, the power-hungry, sleep-to-the-top type of woman, and he had no patience for a relationship. Hell, he could hardly remember the name of the girl who'd just left. _Was it Karen? Kathy?_ She was a horrible assistant, but she gave good head. It was his third PA this month.

_Why do they always have to leave their underwear? _Tony thought with disgust. He couldn't imagine why it kept happening, but it was too regular an occurrence for it to be random chance. If he'd kept them all, he could probably supply half the women in Malibu in thongs and push-up bras. Did they have something against wearing them after sex? Or maybe it was a sad attempt to get him to remember them. He never did.

_I guess it's the women I pick to be around_, he admitted to himself. _Picking your women based on which of them has the biggest rack probably limits the diversity_. He would waltz into the large rooms of cubicles at Stark Industries and announce he was looking for a new assistant. All the women would give him their most sultry look and he'd take his pick. It had been happening for years. He did the same at parties, coming in and immediately picking a busty blonde or brunette to take home

_Respect has to be earned. I learned that a long time ago from dad_. Tony's eyes darkened. He didn't hate his father, but he definitely didn't love him. They were practically the same person in most ways. But his dad had never had any time for him as a kid. The first time he could remember getting any notice from his father was when he was accepted into MIT at 15. Even then, there was no show of affection, no gushing compliments. It was only an acknowledgement of his existence. It was what you did that gained you respect, that was the message.

The women he found himself in bed with usually just wanted something from him. It was either fame, money, or a story of conquest for their friends. He didn't hate them for it. He only wanted something from them too. But he couldn't respect them for it. He respected a person who stood on their own two feet, not those who try to hold on to the heels of someone else.

So he didn't respect women. And because of this, he definitely didn't love any of them. He believed in love as a concept, but he had yet to meet a girl who he admired enough to have any affection for. And admiration comes from respect. And respect comes from independence, especially independence from him.

_Ah well_, he shrugged, then threw back the rest of his drink. _Better luck with the next PA. Maybe I'll get a redhead, haven't had one of those in a while._ He stood silently, grabbing the panties to toss in the trash before heading to liquor cabinet.

**A/N: I'll give you five guesses on who the next PA is. I'm looking forward to working on this as a break from the other story I'm working on. It'll have plenty of fluff and eventually something a little more explicit. Should be fun. Give me a review if you can, I really enjoy reading them.**


	2. Chapter 2

Tony absentmindedly played with the Rubik's cube someone had left on his desk. It had been weeks since he'd been in his Stark Industries office, who knew when the toy had appeared. It was the first Tuesday of the month, which meant he had to make his appearance at the office. He hated coming into work. What was the point of sitting around in meetings all day? He could be working on any number of things. The company always scheduled as many meetings as they could on this day. He'd gone to the first one, and had almost stayed through the whole thing. He was currently missing the second.

His thoughts were interrupted by a heated argument outside his office. A female voice was very angry about something while a male voice was trying to calm her down. He ignored it at first, assuming it would go away. However, the voice became more urgent. Exasperated, he stood and walked to the door, throwing it open.

He almost laughed at the scene in front of him. One of the security guards was doing his best to calm down a nearly irate woman. The woman in question had several papers in one hand and a can of pepper spray in the other, which she was waving wildly towards the guard. Whatever he'd been expecting, this certainly was not it.

Upon seeing him, the woman turned and shoved the papers towards him. She was a tall girl, maybe an inch taller than him in the stiletto heels she wore. She was skinnier than most and she wore a very conservative green suit with a skirt that went to her knees.

"Mr. Stark," she spoke urgently, "I need you to look at this accounting error, if it isn't corrected it will cost the company 5 million."

Tony reluctantly took the papers she was waving in his face, mostly to avoid the can of spray in her other hand. The pages were highlighted extensively, and the margins had several notes written in a neat, linear script. Scanning over what was written, it was obvious that she was right.

"Alright pepper spray, calm down," Tony says, flashing her one of his award-winning smiles, "It looks like you're right, you can put down the weapon."

The woman seemed to calm down at this, although she still regarded him with a shrewd look. Apparently she hadn't seen his smile.

"How come you're bringing this to me? I'm pretty sure I have an accounting department somewhere that handles these things."

Without sheathing the spray, the redhead spoke, "I'm actually from the accounting department, but they refused to listen to me so I had to go above them."

"Well somebody is getting fired," Tony muttered, mostly to himself. At this remark, the woman gave him a dejected look and turned to walk away.

"Wait, I wasn't talking about you. In fact, how would you like a better job? I've been without an assistant for almost a week, the position is yours if you want it."

Instead of gushing with enthusiasm, she actually looked wary. She seemed to weigh the decision before speaking, as if this wasn't the greatest thing to happen to her.

"Alright Mr. Stark."

"Excellent," Tony said, flashing her a second brilliant smile before walking past her towards the elevator. He figured a harrowing experience like this warranted a half day of work. "I'll see you tomorrow, pepper spray."

Six hours later, and she was finally home.

_Virginia Potts, what have you gotten yourself into?_

She sunk into her living room couch, the weight of the day pulling her down. It had all been a rush after she'd confronted Stark. After he'd offered her a job, she'd returned to her desk in the accounting department. She was looking for some encouragement from her coworkers, but she'd found none.

First, no one had believed her. Everyone had assumed she'd been wrong about the error, so when she went above her bosses straight to the CEO, most assumed this was her last day. The idea that she would get a promotion was laughable. However, after Stark's secretary had dropped off a folder of information about her new job, the naysayers split into two distinct groups.

The first group was the younger, attractive women. They looked at her with jealousy, and she could practically hear the behind-the-back insults that would be their conversations for the rest of the day.

The second group included the men and the women who were there to work and not to find a rich husband. They looked at her with a combination of pity and disdain. After all, everyone knew Stark's reputation with his assistants.

_I guess I'll need to find some new friends,_ Virginia thought with some sorrow. Her work-first attitude had always made it hard for her to make friends.

_I can't believe I'm going to work for Tony Stark_. It was not necessarily a good thing. Talk of his wild, mysogynistic behavior – even with his assistants – had been rampant through the office. But how could she pass up a PA job for the CEO of the biggest technology company in the world? The pay wasn't bad either, and having the job on her resume would definitely open doors in the future.

_You can handle this Virginia. Just work hard and keep everything professional. You've dealt with men who see you as an object before. It isn't like he can make you do anything against your will._ Could he? No, that's ridiculous.

With a sigh, she opened the packet of information and began to read. It wouldn't do to show up tomorrow unprepared.

Five hours after Virginia Potts went to bed, Tony sat in the near darkness of a bar, a scotch in hand. He looked out at the crowded dancefloor at rich socialites and pretty women. Plenty of the latter were stealing glances at him from across the bar. He was rarely noticing, instead focused on the drink in his hand. Was it his fifth? Sixth? At this point, he didn't really care. It had been a long day. First, he'd spent nearly three hours at the office, then he'd returned home to work on the new military body armor he'd been working on. It wasn't nearly as interesting as engine work or weapons design, but the defense contract was lucrative, and he wasn't about to pass it up. And the whole pepper spray incident definitely called for a night of heavy drinking.

_What was that crazy woman thinking?_

He'd offered her the job purely out of impulse. After all, he'd wanted a redhead next, right? And besides, how long would she last? A week? And she was kind of pretty even if she didn't show nearly enough skin. She hadn't really responded to his charm, but given time, she'd succumb. After all, who wouldn't?

_I really am the coplete package. Brains, looks, money, fame, I've really got it all._

It was getting late, nearly two in the morning. It was time to call Happy and pick someone to bring home. He quickly scanned the crowd and found the hottest, easiest looking girl. He beckoned for her, and she immediately stopped talking to the man dancing with her and sauntered over with a sly smile.

Thirty minutes later, they were in the back of his Rolls Royce with Happy driving in the front. The girl – he hadn't got her name – was on top of him, her blouse undone as she planted sloppy kisses on his neck.

It would be a fun couple of hours.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: A bit more explicit than the last two. There's a little bit of smut, read at your own risk. There will be more in the future. I've decided this story will go through the first movie through a series of one-shots, just so I can write about the development of Pepper and Tony's relationship. Stay tuned, and send me a review if you have any criticism, praise, or suggestions.**

Virginia knocked on the large front door to Stark's Malibu mansion at exactly 7:55 the following morning. She wore a black pantsuit and her nicest heels, every inch a professional. Her hair was pulled meticulously into a tight bun. She wanted to give a specific impression: that she wasn't some bimbo to be ogled, but a hard-working employee.

The doors opened immediately after her first knock, and she heard a voice beckon her inside.

"Hello Miss Potts, and welcome to the Stark Mansion," a lightly-accented British voice spoke in a pleasing monotone.

"Thank you, I…" She cut off abruptly, looking around. There was no one in sight.

"I apologize Miss Potts, I am JARVIS, the artificial intelligence that runs Mr. Stark's house."

This was a little strange to her, but it was Tony Stark after all. And the voice seemed to be helpful.

"Miss Potts, I have been instructed to show you your office. If you would walk down the hallway next to the kitchen to your left, your office is the second room on the right.

"Thank you JARVIS," she responded cordially, walking towards the room while continuing to talk to the AI.

"Where is Mr. Stark, JARVIS?"

"Miss Potts, Mr. Stark is asleep, and has requested to be left alone until noon. I have a list of what he expects of you waiting in the office."

She opened the door and walked into her new office. It was simple, with a desk and chair. A laptop was closed on the desk with the list on top. It had a few items on it, mostly simple things like fetching his dry cleaning and bringing breakfast. The last item was a bit different.

_#6 After you have finished the rest of the list, escort Mr. Stark's female company to the company car. See that she does not stay past her time._

It was nicely worded, but it looked like she'd be kicking out a random skank that had spent the night. Great, just what she wanted. Her thoughts were interrupted by the AI's voice again.

"Miss Potts, Mr. Hogan has just arrived. He will be driving you to your various destinations this morning. Please meet him in front of the house."

She sighed. Apparently Mr. Stark did not feel the need to greet his new employees. It wasn't that she particularly wanted to see him, but a little professionalism would have been appreciated.

_Oh well, looks like I've got some work to do,_ she thought to herself as she exited the mansion.

As she approached the black car in front of the house, a smiling, bulky man held the door open for him. He spoke to her as she approached.

"Good morning ma'am, I'm Happy Hogan, Tony's driver and bodyguard. Please call me Happy."

She smiled at him and gave him her name.

After introductions, she got in the car and they headed off into the city.

()()()()

()()()()

At 10:30, Tony woke sharply. His head was on fire and his mouth dry as the desert. He looked to his side and saw the blonde from last night. Being careful not to wake her, he rolled from the bed and grabbed his pants and shirt, exiting quickly before she could stir.

Once he was in the safety of his hallway, he spoke.

"Hey J, don't I have a new assistant today?"

"Yes sir," the AI responded, "She is currently with Mr. Hogan performing the normal duties."

"Good. Make sure she handles the situation in my bedroom when she returns. I'm going to the lab."

After grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge, he slowly walked down the stairs to the lab. He had some work to do on the body armor, and he definitely didn't want to be around when the woman in his bedroom woke up.

()()()()

()()()()

"So, Happy," Virginia asked after the errands were finished and they were heading home, "How did you meet Mr. Stark?

Happy laughed.

"I kicked him out of a bar. I was working as a bouncer, and he was being an ass. So I had to toss him out. He slipped me his card and asked if I wanted a job. I was curious, so I gave him a call the next day."

"Why would you want to work for someone like that?" Virginia asked. She knew it was somewhat rude, but she couldn't help herself.

Happy laughed at this.

"The same reason you do, I guess. He's famous for a reason, he really is a genius. He has his flaws, but at least the job isn't boring. Besides, it looks good on a resume."

"So how long have you worked for him," Virginia asked?

"Almost 3 years. It's kinda crazy, but he grows on you. Like I said, the job is never boring. Now lets talk about you. I heard you threatened someone with pepper spray?"

Pepper sighed, "Yes, but it was more of a misunderstanding than anything."

Happy laughed at this as well, and then became more serious.

"Listen Miss Potts, I hope you stick around. You seem like someone who would be good for Tony. Just be careful about his… eccentricities. You don't seem to be the type to fall prey to a womanizer like him, but he's pretty much the best at it."

"Don't worry Happy, I'm not that kind of girl. I'm here for the job, not for him."

"Good," Happy said as he brought the car up the driveway of the Stark Mansion. "Good luck with the rest of your day. And give me a call if you need any help or advice with Tony."

()()()()

()()()()

As she entered the mansion for a second time, the AI spoke.

"Miss Potts, Mr. Stark has requested that you escort the woman in his bedroom to Mr. Hogan's car. His room the first room on the left upstairs."

She sighed. She hadn't been looking forward to this. As she walked to the room, she mentally prepared herself before opening the door.

The woman was inside, already dressed. Without a word, the blonde walked past her and headed towards the front door.

Momentarily stunned, it took her a second to remember to tell her the car outside was waiting to take her home. The woman barely acknowledged this before leaving.

_I guess she got what she came for and was ready to leave. That's just strange._

It wasn't that she was a prude, but this sort of unattached, uncaring sex didn't really appeal to her.

Shrugging this off, she walked to her office. The AI informed her that Mr. Stark would be up to see her soon, so she read over the packet of information given to her yesterday.

Before long, she could hear footsteps outside her door. Tony Stark appeared, dressed in greasy pants and a torn AC/DC shirt. He threw her a cocky smile.

"Hello pepper spray, how's your first day under the great Tony Stark?"

"Mr. Stark," she sighed, "My name is Virginia Potts, please don't call me pepper spray."

"Sorry love, but you really shouldn't have threatened me with pepper spray then. Besides, Pepper Spray Potts has a bit of a ring to it."

"Mr. Stark, please…" she began before he cut her off.

"Alright, I'll call you Pepper Potts, and that's my final offer."

Sensing this would be a futile argument, she let it go.

"I've completed the list of errands Mr. Stark, what else should I start on?"

Tony had an exaggerated look of deep thought on his face.

"Hmm, quiz time. Who are the 8 members on the executive board at Stark Industries? Last name are enough."

Pepper thought back through the information she'd studied the night prior. She responded quickly.

"Woods, Gilbert, Smith, Johnson, Johnson, Beck, Angelestro, and Stane."

Tony looked up at the ceiling and said "Is she right, J? God knows if I can remember any of them but Obie."

"Yes sir, Mr. Stark. She is correct."

"Good girl, Pepper. You've impressed me with your knowledge of unimportant facts," he drawled, his face still taken up by a cocky grin.

Pepper – she might as well get used to the name – was a bit shocked by his lack of interest in the board of executives, but felt like she had to say something to wipe that cocky grin off his face. It was such an annoying smile.

"Mr. Stark, someone here has to be an adult, and since you're unwilling, the duty falls to me."

He laughed at this, unperturbed by her slight.

"I guess you're right Pepper. Why don't you start by calling the heads of the departments whose meetings I blew off yesterday and explain the traumatizing incident that sent me home. "

Pepper sighed inwardly. What an ass. But she acquiesced as he turned to leave.

"Will that be all Mr. Stark?" She asked.

"That will be all Miss Potts." He answered, not even turning around.

()()()()

()()()()

It was nearly a week before Pepper felt that she finally had a firm grasp of the character of her new boss. She gave it great thought while driving to his house in the mornings.

He was spoiled. At this point in his life, Pepper – God, she was even calling herself that in her private time now – assumed that Tony Stark had never been denied anything in his life. The newest cars? He bought them before they were publicly available. Women? They threw themselves at him, and if they didn't right away, he was exceptionally good at convincing them to do so. His schedule? He rarely showed up for meetings, and if he did, he never paid attention. Pepper had managed to drag him to two this week, and had to take extensive notes for him while he messed around on his phone or doodled on the notepad she had provided him in hopes of persuading him to take his own notes.

He was beyond brilliant. This was common knowledge: everyone knew he had graduated MIT with two degrees at seventeen. But that sort of intelligence was hard to visualize until you experienced it. He could remember everything she'd ever told him, and he could figure out what she was saying before she even finished telling him. A couple times she'd seen him doing calculations in the living room when an idea struck him and he couldn't waste time getting down to the lab. He'd blazed through what looked like some sort of advanced calculus in seconds, hardly stopping to think.

He was impossibly closed off. At this point, she still hadn't seen anything more of his house than her office, and the open areas on the main floor. He regarded his lab in the basement as his private sanctum, and no one was allowed in. If you looked past all the women and fame, you could see that he did indeed lead a lonely life.

She respected her boss for what he was, but she really didn't care for him as a person. He was just too much of an ass, especially to her. He'd flirt with her all day, making inappropriate jokes and come-ons, then he'd make her take home the latest bar trash the next morning. He was definitely not attractive to her, his personality was too much of a turn off.

_So why do you keep having dreams about him?_ A little voice in her head spoke up.

It was ridiculous, really. She supposed that it was because she'd been spending so much time with him, but she'd been having some explicit and rather disturbing dreams this whole week about him. Her mind wandered to the one from last night.

_He pushed me against the window in his living room, my blouse and bra gone and my skirt ridden up past my hips. He was wearing nothing at all, his muscles glistening in the moonlight streaming in through the windows behind her I wrapped my legs around him as he held me in midair, I could see his throbbing-_

She hurriedly tried to think of something, anything else. Baseball would work – the Dodgers were doing well this year, they were leading the NL West. She sighed. She was honest enough with herself to admit that physically he was attractive, especially in one of his Armani suits. But he really was an ass, and she wished she could get her subconscious mind to understand that.

_He began thrusting into me, the lust in his eyes palpable. My legs were locked around him, and he set a punishing rate, with one hand on the back of my neck and the other on my ass. He leaned in to take one of my breast in his mouth and-_

She quickly shook her head for a second time to disturb her train of thought. It was eight in the morning, she had an entire day left to spend in the presence of her boss, and the last thing she needed was a mind full of dirty dreams.

_He was going even faster now, using the window to hold me up as he slammed into me. He had one hand under her and the other was between my legs, pushing me to the edge. I screamed as I came, scratching his back and biting his neck to keep the noise down, feeling him go over the edge inside of me and-_

_Damn it Virginia, you are a professional. Keep your mind on your work_.

She sighed to herself. It was going to be a long day.


	4. Chapter 4

It took nearly six months of work before Pepper saw any glimpse of humanity in her boss. During that time, she'd slowly become an integral part of his life. After a month, he insisted she call him Tony. After two months, she was given access to his lab. After three months, he basically let her run his life. He gave her full access to the house and all the information JARVIS had. He even began listening to her orders about going to meetings. Not all the time, but more often than not she could twist his arm to get him to go to the imporant ones.

She was beginning to truly love her job. It was challenging, sometimes infuriating, but it was never boring. It wasn't that she particularly enjoyed Tony, but she did enjoy being a part of his success. She took pride in the knowledge that without her efforts, Tony would not be able to be as productive as he was. Her role had expanded from simple assistant duties to basically caring for a man who had no desire to do so for himself. She brought him coffee and aspirin when he was hungover, she picked out his suits for his meetings, and she even sent him to bed when he looked like he needed it. He definitely ignored her requests a lot of the time, but he was starting to rely on her more and more as the weeks passed by.

It was a cold day in December when her opinion of him softened, if only by a little bit. It had been nearly three days since she'd seen him. She assumed he had been working in the lab on something secret, but he'd been very quiet about what it might be. When she got to work in the mornings, he was already in the basement, and when she left in the early evening, he still hadn't come up. While he usually kept long hours, this was pushing it. She was a bit concerned, so she asked JARVIS.

"JARVIS, is Tony still working in his lab?"

"Yes Miss Potts," came the AI's quick answer. "He has not left these past three days."

She sighed. He'd probably been eating Pop-Tarts for every meal.

"What is he working on, JARVIS?"

"Mr. Stark is not working on anything at the moment. He has been spending his time divided between drinking and working on his cars. It would be good if you could convince him to sleep."

She sighed. Of course he wasn't sleeping enough. He never did.

"What's the cause of this JARVIS?"

"Tomorrow is the anniversary of the accident that claimed the lives of his parents."

She mentally berated herself. Of course that was it, there'd been plans for a charity event in their honor on her calendar for the last month. She grabbed an apple from the fridge to take to him – he probably hadn't had a fruit or vegetable since he'd been down there – and headed for the stairs.

Once she keyed in the code for the lab door, she spied Tony sitting on the couch in the corner with a bottle of scotch and an empty cup next to him. He looked absolutely horrible. His eyes were glazed, and large bags had appeared beneath them. He was covered in engine grease, and his hair hung greasily around his face. As she walked towards him, he looked up, glassy eyes barely focusing on her.

"JARVIS told me what tomorrow is," she said quietly. "If you want to talk about it we can. I know that…"

"Don't," he said tiredly. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Tony, if you…"

"No," he said firmly, cutting her off a second time. "I'm not a charity case Pep, and I don't need your sympathy. We all have our baggage. We all have bad memories, and we have our coping mechanisms. Everyone has problems, and I'm not going to be the type of person who dumps theirs on someone else."

Pepper sighed. She could hear the pain in his voice. It was a different side of Tony, and she could understand why his response to this emotion was to shut himself off. She knew Tony didn't have anyone to really talk to about this. She knew she might be crossing a line, but she didn't have the heart to let him go through this alone. She tossed the apple to him.

"Eat, Tony. Liquor and red bull can't be good for your system."

He looked at her for a moment before taking a large bite from the fruit.

"I'm your assistant, and I am supposed to keep you from destructive behavior. That includes drowning yourself in alcohol. Now talk to me. Tell me about your parents."

She sat down on the couch next to him, ignoring the strong odors. He obviously hadn't showered. She was curious if he would actually talk, since normally he was very closed off. But the alcohol had loosened his tongue, and it became clear very quickly that he really did need someone to talk to.

After a few moments of silent chewing, Tony began to speak, almost as if to himself.

"My old man was a mean son of a bitch. He made it very clear when I was young that the company came first. I don't know if it was because he didn't want a kid or he didn't want to waste his time on something that didn't make money. But I hardly saw him when I was growing up. He shipped me off to boarding school as soon as he was able. I kept trying to impress him, but there didn't seem to be anything I could do."

Pepper stayed silent, not wanting to draw attention to the fact that he was opening up to her.

"But my mom, she was wonderful. She was a beautiful woman. She cared so much about helping other people, she put as much of my dad's money into charity that she could manage. Most of the charities I donate to were started by her."

Pepper was surprised. She hadn't realized that Tony gave any money away, seeing him more as the type to blow it all on himself.

"And then they were gone. I was in school at the time on the other side of the country. They had a closed casket at their funeral because the accident had caused too much damage. I didn't even get to see them one last time."

He went silent at this, a tear slowly falling down his face. Pepper was seized with sorrow, and reached a hand out towards his, but he stood suddenly, turning away from him. She guessed that he had realized how vulnerable he was making himself and the walls were coming back up.

"I appreciate you listening to me Miss Potts, and I apologize that you had to see me like this. As I said before, I don't like to unload my problems on other people."

Pepper sighed and stood up, the signal for her to leave evident.

"Tony, thank you for sharing this with me. I'm always there for you."

The last part had just jumped out of its own accord, but she realized it to be true. It was a little more personal than she intended, but she decided to let it stand. He turned to look at her, and some of the sorrow had left his face.

"Thank you Pepper. I appreciate that. That will be all Miss Potts."

She nodded her head and walked out of the lab. Maybe he was an ass, but there was still a decent human being underneath.


	5. Chapter 5

Lt. Colonel James Rhodes sat on his best friend's couch, exasperated. He was trying to get Tony to pay attention, but the man was doing his best to completely ignore his efforts.

"Tony, come on man, we need to talk about the security details of your trip to Afghanistan next week."

Tony grunted towards him while drawing something indecipherable on the tablet in his hands.

"What are you working on that you can't wait five seconds to talk to your oldest friend."

"Arc reactor plans," Tony grunted.

"You mean your dad's old tech? You've been looking at that stuff for years, it can wait another ten minutes. Pepper, help me out here," he called for back up to the redhead sitting across from him.

"Tony," she said sternly, "Please pay attention to James, this trip is important."

Tony sighed and gave her a disparaging look before saying "Yes mom," and taking the folder that Rhodey had been offering for the past five minutes.

Rhodey shot a quick smile of thanks at Pepper, who returned it. They worked together to get Tony to be productive fairly often. After eight years as Tony's assistant, she'd broken the previous record by about seven years and eleven months.

God, they just needed to get together and get it over with. They bickered like an old married couple, and Tony still flirted outrageously with her after eight years. Of course, Pepper had too much respect to ever get with the king of all playboys, and Tony wasn't about to change his ways, so they were pretty much stuck. It was a pity.

"Pepper, what are you doing tonight?"

Tony's question snapped him back to reality. Pepper sighed, and Rhodey smiled. This was Tony's new thing.

"Tony, I will not go out with you," Pepper said, giving him a serious look. It was mostly for show, Rhodey knew that she was used to his flirting.

Tony showed her a look of confusion and hurt, saying "I don't know what you mean Miss Potts. I was only making small talk with my most trusted employee."

Pepper sighed a second time and said "Fine, I'll be enjoying some private time away from you and trying to get over the stress that you inevitably cause me on a daily basis."

Tony's eyes were all sadness and regret. "Pepper, I want nothing more than for you to be healthy and happy. Please, you have to let me help you relax."

"No thanks, I know what your idea of relaxing involves, and you haven't had your sheets changed since the last poor woman you helped to relax."

Rhodey laughed at this, and Tony shot him a dark look before continuing.

"I didn't mean it like that Pepper, why don't the three of us go out for dinner, just some friends enjoying an evening together."

"Fine, if James wants to go, we can get some dinner."

Tony looked eagerly at the colonel, and Rhodey nodded his head in agreement. He enjoyed his time with the two of them, and it had been nearly six months since he'd been out to Malibu, or even stateside. He'd been stationed in Bagram for longer than he'd like to remember.

"Excellent!" Tony jumped up quickly and headed to his bedroom. "I need a shower before our date."

"It's not a date!" Pepper yelled at him, then rolled her eyes.

Rhodey laughed again. Their banter was a constant source of amusement for him whenever he came around.

"And what are you laughing about, James," Pepper asked, shooting him a look.

Rhodey put on a faux somber face and Pepper smiled at his quick change.

"You two really would be good together. You complement each other very well."

Pepper raised a red eyebrow at him. "Do you mean because he is immature in every way and I have to do everything for him? I don't think that counts as being complementary."

"I guess you're right," Rhodey smiled, "But I do think that you would be perfect together."

"You know better than I do how little interest he has in relationships. I like my job, and I have no desire to be another one of his conquests. And you're assuming that I haven't been completely disguested by him and his habits."

Rhodey gave her a sad smile and a nod. She was right of course. Tony wasn't likely to change his ways, even for someone like Pepper. And she deserved better. But he knew for a fact that she was attracted to Tony. She might hate how he acted, and she might hate herself for it, but there wasn't a girl alive who wasn't a little bit attracted to Tony Stark.

"Well, who knows what tomorrow will bring. You're the closest thing he has to family, and maybe he'll realize it."

Their conversation stopped quickly as Tony strode back into the room in a bathrobe, his hair still wet from the shower.

Rhodey sighed. "You're not shy, are you Tony."

Pepper rolled her eyes at her boss.


	6. Chapter 6

_Fuck! God DAMN it!_

Tony swore inwardly as he vomited and coughed, his body trying desperately to get rid of the water invading his lungs. He fell to his hands and knees on the cold stone, lacking the strength to remain upright. The only light to illuminate his hacking came from a single incandescent bulb hung from the cave's ceiling.

After expelling the water, he collapsed in a heap on top of the expelled fluids. He didn't care, he was in too much pain.

For three days they'd been torturing him, alternating between waterboarding and caning. His lungs were burning, he could hardly breathe without collapsing in pain. His back was a mass of bruises and deep cuts. This, combined with the giant gash and magnet stuck in his chest, made sleep almost impossible. The bags under his eyes could testify to his exhaustion.

Rolling onto his back, he looked sideways at the man sleeping a half dozen yards away. Yinsen was his name. He was a prisoner as well, mainly there as a translator. According to the middle-eastern man, they wanted him to make them a Jericho missile. Tony had refused immediately, and the torture had started.

They'd broken him today, and he'd agreed to their demands just to get them to stop. He was spent. He couldn't take any more pain. He'd build their missile, and then they'd let him die. He could accept those terms.

_Why shouldn't you die?_ He asked himself. _It's your own fault you're here, your weapons brought your empire down around you. You had so many years to make a difference, to do something worthwhile, and you did nothing. You're nothing but a warmonger. What do you even have left to go back to?_

It was a fair question, one that he'd been asking himself these past three days. All his superficial accomplishments – the women, the fame, the name he'd made for himself – all of them felt so much smaller in an Afghanistan cave when you had to worry about surviving the day. After being faced with his mortality, he had no desire to go back to that life. It was just so fucking pointless.

He couldn't remember a single woman he'd slept with in the past years. He could remember a few faces, a few intense, sweaty moments under the sheets, but no names and no solid memories. But there was one woman he could remember clearly. There was one woman whose memory helped him through the beatings and the drowning.

It was Pepper. It had always been Pepper. She'd been there for him for so long. He'd been an ass for years, and she'd stood by his side, helping to keep him on his feet. Maybe it was the exhaustion, but he swore he could hear her voice, chastising him for missing meetings or getting too drunk. But now he could see that she really did care.

_Why did it take you until you were about to die to figure that out? Why couldn't you have realized it years ago? You could have made a few happy memories to remember instead of all this regret. And now you'll never get to tell her what she means to you._

And there it was. The motivation he needed to find a way home. Slowly a plan started to form, and with it, his strength returned.

It took nearly eight hours of work, substantially shortened with Yinsen's help, before he finished the soldering and was ready to power it up. He connected the leads to the car battery and watched it power up.

"What is it?" Yinsen asked, as the cylinder glowed blue.

"It's an arc reactor," Tony said quietly, the blue light illuminating a determined smile on his face.

_I'm coming Pepper_.

**A/N: Two chapters at the same time, but they're short so it's more like one. Lots of skipping ahead, but I want to get to the relationship stuff, and I needed to give a little background first. I hope you like it, and please review**


	7. Chapter 7

Tony looked at the phone in his hand. As soon as he'd made it back to the air force base, he'd practically begged for a way to call her, even as they put him in a hospital bed. And now the phone sat in his hand. The numbers were typed in; all he had to do was push enter.

_Here goes nothing_ he thought, and pushed the button. The phone rang three times before she picked up.

"Hello? Who is this?" A tired voice answered.

Tony froze. He'd forgotten what he was going to say.

"Alright, I'm hanging up now whoever you are."

_Don't Pepper, please don't hang up. What's wrong with me?_

The call ended.

_Damn it, I love you Pep._

Tony sighed with regret as the drugs they'd given him took effect. He fell asleep before he could berate himself too much, and for once in the past three months, his dreams were peaceful.

()()()()

()()()()

"Pepper," Rhodey said anxiously once she picked up the phone. "We found him."

"What?" She gasped, immediately waking up despite the late hour. "Where? How?"

"We found him wandering the desert. He managed to kill the terrorists holding him."

Pepper was silent for a moment, and when she spoke her voice was thick with emotion.

"How bad is he?"

Rhodey sighed. "He doesn't look good Pepper. He's sleeping off the dehydration and heavy sunburns right now. He's got some lung damage and scars on his back. It looks like they were torturing him. He's got some sort of glowing thing in his chest that, according to him, is keeping shrapnel from killing him.

Pepper's voice had become more choked, and it was obvious she was crying.

"When will I be able to talk to him?"

"He's sleeping right now, but we'll be bringing him home tomorrow if possible. Try to get some sleep, he's finally safe now."

()()()()

()()()()

As the bay of the plane opened, the harsh Malibu sunlight blinded him momentarily. Tony stood from his seat and tried to stretch his aching muscles. The bruises and cuts on his back and the brace on his arm both ached from the long flight, but he concentrated on ignoring them. As Rhodey helped to steady him, his eyesight returned and the scene on the tarmac became visible.

There she was, in all her redheaded glory.

As he walked towards her, everything he wanted to say, all the times he'd practiced in the dark of the cave, seemed to slip from his mind like water through a drain. How could simple words express how he felt? His emotions were so strong, so deep, so all-encompassing that he didn't know where to begin, and any attempt at voicing them would cheapen their worth and meaning.

Her eyes were red. He pointed it out to her with his usual dry humor. Stupid. What was wrong with him? All he wanted was to sweep her up in his arms and hold her, and he was reverting back to his old glibness after a few seconds. But at least she had missed him. The thought practically made him giddy.

As much as he wanted to dwell on this, he did have something important he had to do. Three months of having his guns aimed at him had drastically changed his business plan for the future.

"Miss Potts, I want you to call a press conference."

()()()()

()()()()

As they sat in the car riding home from the press conference, she couldn't take her eyes off of him.

_You should talk to him. Ask him if he is alright._

She really wanted to. Three months of worrying about him had proven that she cared about him more than she would have believed.

_You can tell he's hurting, you can see it in his eyes. Just ask him._

She could tell something was off. He was on edge, his whole body tense as if ready for something wrong to happen. His eyes seemed to be so sad, much different than the twinkling brown she remembered.

_Don't push him. Who knows if he even wants to talk to you. He'd probably rather keep it to himself._

At least he was back. Maybe things could go back to the way they were now.

()()()()

()()()()

They both stepped out of the concert hall onto the open balcony.

She was inches away, he could practically feel her breath on him. She had goosebumps on her arms from the wind.

_No wonder she's cold, wearing a dress like that_.

She was in a stunning blue dress, one that he had apparently paid for. He'd buy a dozen more like it if she'd wear them. Her hair was down, and her makeup done up. He'd never seen her like this. She normally would refuse to go to events like this, going only if he refused.

_You should tell her how you feel_.

He wanted to, but his words were still failing him.

_You should kiss her_.

He really, really wanted to. She looked so perfect right now.

_She wants you to, do it._

They leaned towards each other, her eyes closing and lips pursing.

_Do it, come on, just kisk her. She wants you to, you want to, just do it._

He stopped just forward and her eyes opened. She looked a little dazed, and perhaps disappointed?

She sighed, saying, "I would like a drink."

He was already turning and headed for the bar as she gave him her order.

_You're a coward._

It would be alright. He'd get a drink and come back to try again.

()()()()

()()()()

"PUSH THE BUTTON!" Tony yelled, barely able to hold himself up.

"BUT YOU'LL DIE!" Pepper screamed up towards him, her eyes glistening with tears.

"JUST DO IT! YOU HAVE TO DO IT!" He yelled again, and she slammed the red button before running for the exit.

For a moment, nothing happened, then everything went white. He could vaguely see himself being launched by the white-blue blast, but he couldn't seem to feel anything.

Everything was going dark, but he fought against it as hard as he could. He wouldn't die, he couldn't.

_You still haven't told her_, he whispered to himself. _You said you'd tell her and you put it off and now it's too late._

_No, it's not too late_, a second thought broke through, _I survivied three months in the goddamn desert, and I will NOT die until I tell her._

His chest was flickering, the light growing weaker.

_You have to fight it, come on Tony, do it for her. Do it for Pepper. You love her. I really do, I'm not going to leave you my love. I LOVE YOU PEPPER!_

The light in his chest grew bright as he lost consciousness.

()()()()

()()()()

"You mean the night that you went down to get me a drink and you left me on the roof?" Pepper said, a small smile pulling at the side of her mouth.

Tony, to his credit, did look abashed as he mumbled some sort of response.

She smiled again, as she went to their old standby for dismissal.

"Will that be all Mr. Stark?"

He was staring at her, something indistinguishable in his eyes. It almost looked like regret. He gave the correct response as he made his way towards the crowds of people waiting for his prepared statement about the arc reactor explosion two days ago.

_There is something different about him._

She'd been noticing more and more that his time in captivity had changed him. It wasn't just the whole 'Iron Man' thing, it was everything about him. He'd been calmer, more reserved since he'd returned. He seemed focused on this new mission to save the world. He'd turned his company away from war profiteering and towards more philanthropic efforts.

_And he hasn't brought a single woman home since he's been back._

She didn't know why this popped into her head. It was probably a coincidence anyway, or because he'd been distracted with the Iron Man suit.

_But what about that time on the balcony?_

She ignored her mind's wandering. After almost a decade under him, she had convinced herself fully of his character. Those dreams she'd had when she first started working for him had long since been tempered by his deplorable habits. Besides, just because he might be interested in her doesn't mean that she wouldn't end up like every other girl, tossed aside the next morning.

She could see him on the screen in front of her and hear him through the walls. He was rambling, and Rhodey had stepped in to whisper something to him. He really did look different though. Maybe they could talk about what had been happening between them now that Stane had been dealt with. Everything should calm down now.

"The truth is… I am Iron Man."

_Or not_, she seethed to herself,_ Damn it Tony, how hard is it to read cue cards?"_

Her hands were shaking with fury as she hurried towards the door that would lead to where Happy was waiting.

_This is just his stupid ego getting in the way of rational thought. I can't believe I thought he'd changed._

As she slid into the back seat of the car, Happy wisely chose to stay silent. That was not a good look on her face.

A few moments later, Tony opened the other door and slid in next to her, his face completely relaxed and blank.

_Ok Pepper, just stay calm._

"What the HELL were you thinking?!" She yelled at him. So much for staying calm. "Why didn't you just read the damn cards?"

Tony looked startled, whether by her tone or by her swearing. As a rule, she didn't use profanity except in dire circumstances.

"Iron Man is a part of who I am," he said quite calmly, looking her directly in the eyes. "I don't want to have to hide."

She looked at him curiously, the anger abating. That was not the answer she expected.

Tony still looked at her, staring intensely into her eyes.

"We need to talk," he said calmly before turning and speaking to Happy. "Take us back to the mansion, Hap."

After they'd arrived, Tony walked into the living room and stopped, turning towards her as she closed the front door behind her.

"So what's on your mind Tony?" She asked, a curious look on her face.

"Pepper, I've been wanting to tell you something since I came back. I just want you to know that… Well, I know that we've been… umm… you see…"

Pepper watched him stammering with a feeling of amusement and surprise. It was very rare for Tony to be anything less than perfectly eloquent and snappy with his words.

He took a deep breath and said "Let me start again. Pepper, when I was in that cave, there was one thing I couldn't get out of my mind. Just one thing that kept me going when I wanted to give up and die."

Pepper's amusement was replaced with one of concern. This was much deeper than most of their conversations had been since he'd returned, and it was the first about his time in captivity.

"I realized that I had a lot of regret in my life. But there was one thing that I regretted most of all, and that was never telling you… telling you… oh fuck it."

And without another word, he pulled her lips to his and kissed her as deeply as he could.

**A/N: Hope you like this chapter. I wanted to get to the relationship stuff quickly, but I had to finish through the first movie first, so this seemed like a good compromise. The next chapters will be all about the relationship they develop, so stay tuned. Leave a review if you can and give me some suggestions if you have them.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: There will be some sex in this chapter. It's not quite what you think. I changed the rating to Mature, so consider yourself warned. I like to be descriptive.**

The kiss lasted for exactly five seconds. Or maybe it was an eternity, but Tony was pretty sure it was closer to five seconds. He could feel the shock radiating through her, causing her to tense up. Then she relaxed into him, her hands finding his as they held her to him. She made some sort of noise, a mix between a moan and a squeak of surprise, then she tensed up again and pulled away to look him in the eyes.

"Tony, I…" She choked out, her cheeks turning a beautiful shade of pink. "What are you doing?"

"It's you Pepper, it's always been you." Tony replied quickly, reaching to touch her cheek with his hand.

She backed away quickly and tears started to form in her eyes.

"Tony, I have… I have to go." She turned and ran out the door.

Tony was so surprised that he didn't run after her. He just stood there and let his hand drop back to his side before letting out a long sigh.

"Sir," JARVIS spoke from above, "That did not seem to go as well as hoped."

"Really J? Are you sure?" Tony spat back, shooting his ceiling a glare. He turned towards the bar to pour himself a drink.

"Yes sir," the AI responded smartly, "I believe making her cry was not the reaction one would have hoped for. May I suggest not sexually assaulting her next time you want to make your feelings known?"

"I didn't sexually assault her J."

"Sir, sexual assault is defined by unwanted sexual advances. Tears are a good sign that the kiss was unwanted."

"J?" Tony asked while looking at the ceiling.

"Yes sir?"

"Shut up."

By the time Tony had poured himself a drink, Pepper was already flying down the highway towards her apartment. Her tears had stopped, but she was still an emotional wreck.

_Why would he do that? After all these years, now he decides to make a move on me? I'm not just some random girl to throw it into after a long day. I thought we were friends, and if not, then at least I was a good enough employee that I deserved respect._

The more romantic side of her mind whispered back. _What if he doesn't see you as one of those girls, but as something more? What if he's changed?_

She shook that thought off quickly.

_Just because he'd been less self-destructive and less horny of late doesn't mean that he's any different._

_That kiss was pretty amazing though._

She couldn't argue with her mind's opinion of the kiss. It had been pretty spectacular. She could remember the smell of him so clearly, it was like he was there. And his tongue was amazing, just the right amount. But that didn't excuse his actions, and now that her tears were gone, anger was starting to take its place. She wanted some damn answers, and she was going to get them. She whipped her car around and started heading back.

While Pepper was on her way back, Tony was having a heated discussion with his house.

"I don't get it J, why did she respond that way?"

The AI responded in his normal monotone. "I believe that you should have explained more feelings more clearly before you tried to kiss Miss Potts."

Tony threw back the drink he'd poured for himself before responding. "I'm not good at talking about my feelings, and actions speak louder than words."

"Sir, Miss Potts has had to deal with your 'actions' for many years, she is most likely not convinced of your intentions."

Tony sighed at this. Of course she'd think he was just trying to sleep with her. It wasn't like he had a great track record. But how could he make her see how he felt?

"Sir, might I suggest that you refrain from physical interactions with Miss Potts until you have convinced her your intentions are true?"

_Why is my computer better at this than I am?_ Tony wondered to himself. It wasn't a great testimony to his relationship skills.

But, Tony Stark was nothing if not resourceful and determined, at least when the project interested him enough. And this one surely did.

"Alright JARVIS, we're going to brainstorm and figure out what to do."

"Sir, Miss Potts is approaching the driveway."

_Crap. Guess I'd better think quick. Maybe I should put on the armor just to be safe? Maybe I could hide?_

Before he could decide what to do, she was there, storming down the stairs in her black stiletto heels, her face the very definition of anger.

_God she looks good when she's mad. I'd let her punish me so- alright, that's not helping._

He struggled to maintain a passive and slightly contrite face.

"Tony Stark, what the HELL were you doing kissing me!"

"It seemed like a good idea at the time," Tony answered in a flippant way while his mind yelled at him_._

_What the hell kind of answer was that? You're not the fucking Fonz, don't try to be nonchalant. Just tell her how you feel._

"Tony, I'm not some random girl you can take advantage of, I thought after all these years you respected me a little more than that."

"Just because I kissed you doesn't mean that I don't respect you," he said, a small amount of frustration seeping into his voice. _Just tell her how you feel. Come on, tell her tell her tell her…_

Pepper's eyes narrowed, "Yes, it most certainly does. Just because you give me some line about caring about me does not give you the right to kiss me."

_TELL HER TELL HER TELL HER DO IT TELL HER TELL HER TELL HER TELL HER TELL HER._

"ALRIGHT!" He yelled. _Probably shouldn't have said that out loud, chief._ As he looked up and saw Pepper's wide eyes, he had to agree with himself.

"Pepper," he said in a much calmer tone, "Please sit down. I want to explain myself."

She didn't look less angry, but she still did what he asked.

"First, let me say that I do respect you Pepper, more than anyone else in my life. You've done more for me than I could ever hope to thank you for."

He paused to observe her reaction. The compliment seemed to have toned her anger down a mite, but that could also just be wistful thinking. He continued.

"I meant what I was saying before I kissed you, that there was one thing I couldn't get out of my mind. That thing was you."

Her face was definitely slightly less angry now, but it looked slightly apprehensive now. He slowly took off his shirt. She'd seen his chest where the reactor was put in, but she hand't seen the rest of his scars yet.

"The first thing they did was torture me. I refused to build them their weapons, and they tortured me."

He turned around to let her see the scars on his back and he could hear her gasp.

"Tony…" she said, her voice full of concern. The anger appeared to be forgotten for the moment, and he decided to push forward before it returned.

"Stop," he said, turning back around. "I wanted to die. I truly did, because I didn't think I had a reason to fight. The pain was too much, giving up would be so much easier. I tried to find a reason to even want to return, and there was only one thing I found."

She was looking at him with wide eyes, her eyes lightly watery. Was it from concern or sadness at what he was about to say.

"You, Pep. It's always been you. Maybe since the first time I met you and I never realized it, but I realize it now. I care about you, I trust you, and I respect you. I could see your face and hear your voice during those nights when I was too scared to sleep."

As he paused, she stood up and walked close enough to put her hand on his chest in a comforting fashion. Tony looked down at it briefly before continuing.

"I know that I was too forward with that kiss, but I couldn't seem to say what needed to be said. I guess I thought that I could show you how I feel instead of telling you."

Pepper looked at him for a long moment before speaking.

"Tony, I believe you. I'm pretty sure you respect me enough to not try to lie about something like this just to get me in the sack. But I don't know if I can believe that you're as changed as you think you are. Who's to say things won't go back to the way they were in another month once your new lease on life has worn out? Spontaneous feelings don't usually last."

Tony looked at her while dwelling on what she said. It was a legitimate concern, but he knew that it was unwarranted. She was the only one for him.

"I understand why you'd say that," Tony began slowly, his eyes focused hard on her face. "But you don't need to worry about that. I plan on showing you exactly how much I care about you, and I will be a perfect gentleman while I do it. All I ask is a chance. Just don't quit."

Pepper nodded her head at this. "I'll stay Tony, but don't try anything like that again."

Tony gave her a smile, trying to put some of his usual humor into the tense situation. "Trust me Pep, the next time you'll be the one that's trying something."

She seemed happy that their conversation was returning to their normal banter, and replied, "Mr. Stark, you seem to have an overly-inflated opinion of your charms."

Tony smiled even bigger. "My charms are especially large and inflated to just the right size."

She rolled her eyes at his innuendo and replied "Will that be all Mr. Stark?"

"That will be all Miss Potts."

She headed up the stairs as Tony walked towards his desk and sat down. He had some work to do. He had to come up with a plan for getting Pepper to see he was genuine, and since he had no experience in that department, it might take a while.

Pepper hung around the mansion for a bit longer to answer some of the many emails, but found that she couldn't concentrate when she knew Tony was just a floor below her. His revelation had just been too much for her to focus on anything else. She decided to head home and try to finish her work there. With Tony's idiotic announcement this morning, her inbox had been rapidly filling at an exponential rate.

The drive to her apartment was quiet, and it gave her time to think about what had happened. She had no doubt that Tony was being honest with his feelings, and if she was honest with herself, she knew she cared about him just as deeply, but that did not mean that his feelings would last. He was impulsive, jumping from one project to the next, and she didn't want to be someone he just moved on from.

Her thoughts took her all the way to her apartment's door before she let it go for the time being. She had a lot of work to do after this morning, and she set to it with gusto. For nearly three hours she answer emails, set appointments, and did her best to handle the backlash from the press conference.

As the sun began to dip past the horizon, a heavy yawn told her that she needed sleep. She slowly worked her way to bed to lie down, but once sleep came, it was far from peaceful.

"_I don't think you should be doing this Mr. Stark," I whispered hoarsely as he kissed up and down my neck. We were in his office, the one at Stark Industries with the big desk and the huge windows that anyone could see through._

_He only grunted in response, his hands running through my hair while he continued his exploration of my neck. I let out a small moan as he hit that one spot right behind my ear. He gave a low laugh at me, his hands untangling themselves to run down my back._

"_Mr. Stark, please, this is highly inappropriate," I tried to reason. His response was to reach a hand to my front and pop the top button on my blouse. He then pulled back from my neck to look me in the eyes. I could see the dilation in his eyes as he gave me a wordless, lust-filled growl. My mind went blank._

_He pulled on my blouse quickly and the rest of the buttons popped off, revealing my bare chest. Where was my bra? Why wasn't I wearing one? My thoughts were lost as he pushed his lips hard into mine, his hands reaching for my bare breasts. God I was so wet, why am I getting off on this? Shouldn't I be trying to get away from him?_

_My thoughts were again lost as he pulled back again, breathing heavily. There was no smile on his face, no humor, only need and want etched into him. Without a word he reached behind me and unzipped my skirt, tugging it quickly to the floor. I stood naked in front of him. Where was my underwear? Why wouldn't I be wearing underwear in the office? He chuckled at my confusion, and grabbed me by my waist._

_I lost control. I pushed into him, trying to rub every inch of my body against his ten thousand dollar suit, needing his touch. I pulled at his tie and threw it across the office. I ripped his shirt, pulled his belt, undid his pants. As fast as I could, I stripped him until he was completely naked before me. He didn't say a word, he simply allowed me to pull off the last of his clothes. There he was in all his glory, his manhood already rigid in front of me. My mouth went dry as I looked at it, and I could feel myself getting even more excited._

_Then, he turned me around and bent me over the desk._

"_Mr. Stark," I whimpered, "Please be gentle."_

_But I didn't want gentle. I wanted hard and fast, and he seemed to know it. He plunged into me as deeply as he could and I moaned his name._

_Faster he went, harder, until I could hardly stand it. He had a hand on my back holding me against the desk and another hand on my ass. I was in heaven. I could feel my excitement building._

"_Oh Tony," I moaned, "Don't stop, I'm so close. I'm going to finish, I'm going to…"_

Pepper awoke as her body convulsed, a hand already moving quickly of its own accord between her legs. She practically screamed as she shook, sweat glistening on her forehead.

Exhausted, she fell back onto her bed. It had been a long time since her subconscious had subjected her to this sort of dream. She didn't have time to wonder why she was having a dream about her boss again after all these years before she fell back asleep.

As Pepper fell asleep for a second time, Tony was just making his way to his bed after a long day of planing and re-planning. He had come up with what he thought was the best path to show Pepper just how much she meant to him, and he was exhausted. After pulling his shirt and pants off, he crawled into the bed and fell asleep almost immediately, but, like Pepper, his mind was too overwhelmed by the emotions of the day to let him have restful sleep.

_"Mr. Stark," she said in a sultry whisper, "Is there anything I can help you with?"_

_There she was in all her red-haired beauty. She was wearing red stiletto heels that made her legs look ten miles long and a smile._

_And nothing else._

_I groaned as she walked towards me, her hips popping with every step. I sat on my couch in awe as she gave me the most provocative smile I'd ever seen. Once she reached me, she spread her legs and bent over at the waist to put her hand on my thigh, just inches away from something that was getting harder by the second. She kept her legs completely straight as she looked me directly in the eyes._

_"I said," she spoke again and moved her hand up to graze against my clothed crotch. "Is there anything I can help you with? Any problems that have come up?"_

_Oh she was good. I nodded my head, not trusting my voice, and she unzipped my jeans as she knelt down in front of me. She pulled out my dick and gasped._

_"Why, Mr. Stark, I had no idea that you were in this much duress. I'll see what I can do."_

_And without losing eye contact, she bent towards it and took the entire thing in her mouth._

Breathing heavily, Tony woke up to a feeling of wetness in his underwear. He looked down with a perturbed look before pulling them off and discarding them. A small feeling of guilt settled in his stomach. He didn't want to think of Pepper like that. Obviously she was gorgeous, but he wanted her to see that he was interested in a relationship, not just sex. The idea that his subconscious mind was thinking about her in such a detailed way almost made him question if that wasn't his mind's true intentions behind his feelings. He shrugged the feeling off. Of course he loved her, and tomorrow would be the day he started to convince her. His thoughts were interrupted by the AI in the ceiling.

"Sir," JARVIS said, "I detect elevated heart rate and blood pressure, would you like me to inform Miss Potts?"

"Oh my god J," Tony groaned. "You say one word of this to Pepper and I will delete every remnant of you from existence."

"Yes sir," the AI responded cordially. "Good night sir."

Distracted by his AI which had apparently developed a sense of humor, Tony fell asleep again quickly and dreamed no more.

**A/N: So that was fun. You'll notice that Tony doesn't talk during the dream Pepper has, and I'd like to think that says a lot about her feelings. Please let me know if you like this, if you think it's too much, etc. And please give me some suggestions on what you'd like to see in the coming chapters, I could use them. I'm not feeling very creative when it comes to their relationship, so it might take a bit for the next update.**


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